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The Sohn and Next Wave Sohn Conferences took place in San Francisco last week, shining the spotlight on several growing and established hedge funds, who shared some of their best ideas with attendees. Last year’s event raised $320,000 for San Francisco’s underprivileged youth, providing them with educational opportunities.

At last year’s Sohn Conference, some of the big ideas were Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), which was pitched by Jeffrey Ubben’s ValueAct Capital, Marcato Capital Management’s bullish thesis on Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD), and Social Capital’s aggressive long-term call on Workday Inc. (NYSE:WDAY). Morgan Stanley has jumped by over 54% in the past year, while Workday has gained 20% and Buffalo Wild Wings has declined by 24%.

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Let’s start with Deckers Outdoor Corp (NYSE:DECK), which was pitched by Mick McGuire. The stock ranks as Marcato’s largest position as of June 30 (1.95 million shares valued at $133 million), and the fund is currently engaged in an activist campaign against the company. McGuire’s campaign is focused on the company spinning off or selling some of its non-core brands and recapitalizing its balance sheet. McGuire told CNBC last week that the company could do a better job in terms of the latter, predicting that the $2 billion company could have as much as $500 million in net cash at the end of this year.

McGuire believes Deckers Outdoor Corp (NYSE:DECK)’s margins could double along with its stock if the company is successful at shifting its focus to its growing Ugg brand. McGuire has nominated a full slate of ten candidates for the company’s board whom he believes could successfully execute his vision and is prepared to fight a proxy contest if necessary. Marcato won three seats on Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD)’ board after a proxy battle earlier this year, though the stock fell heavily after the win and has yet to recover.

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Vistra Energy Corp (NYSE:VST) was pitched by Mark Okada of Highland Capital, which took a very large stake in the stock in the second-quarter, a $258 million position that became the fund’s largest. Since its IPO during that quarter, Vistra Energy has gained 23%.

Highland Capital believes there are a number of reasons why Vistra Energy shares could drive higher, including their already attractive valuation and the M&A opportunities that could be available to it thanks to its low leverage. Citi analyst Praful Mehta suggested that it’s likely the company will acquire Dynegy Inc. (NYSE:DYN) for $11-$12 per share in stock. Billionaire John Paulson also took a big stake in Vistra Energy Corp (NYSE:VST) during the second-quarter.

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